


Good Night And Stay Strong

by DGCatAniSiri



Category: Mass Effect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2018-02-06 18:29:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1867959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DGCatAniSiri/pseuds/DGCatAniSiri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Diana Allers, reporting for the Alliance News Network, offers valuable insight into the crew of the Normandy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good Night And Stay Strong

**Author's Note:**

> The formatting is a bit of an experiment, but it seemed to fit the story.
> 
> Written as a challenge to have something positive in relation to Diana Allers.

[ _static_ ]

[ _A woman, approximately in her mid- to late twenties, in a white tank top with an Alliance logo on the right side, comes into focus. There is a haunted look to her eyes, but she summons up a smile._ ]

This is Diana Allers, with Alliance News Network. I’ve had the privilege of serving on board the SSV Normandy over the course of the war with the Reapers. Through my time here, I’ve brought you along with the crew, through the curing of the genophage, the retaking of Rannoch, and even the fall of Thessia. My time here has allowed me to see everything from the breathtaking thrill of watching Reapers be defeated to the sickening horrors done by Cerberus – done by fellow humans to other sapient species - at Sanctuary.

I’ve also been accepted amongst one of the greatest crews in Citadel space. It’s no secret that the crew of the Normandy, both the SR-1 and SR-2, are considered legends among those aware of their exploits. I’ve been proud to see them for myself and show the galaxy that the legends are not exaggeration. 

Nowhere is that more personified than in the Normandy’s commanding officer, Commander Shepard, the first human Spectre. Throughout this conflict, Commander Shepard has remained not just dedicated to defending people across the galaxy, regardless of their planet of origin or species, but to giving us all hope, warning us about the Reapers, despite his words falling on deaf ears until the invasion began. Despite how many people in power ignored his words, others paid heed. Although it offers little comfort, because of Commander Shepard’s efforts, every slight edge that we were offered proved to help. 

As I edit this, the Normandy is making its way to Earth, for the final assault on the Reapers. Commander Shepard has finished off Cerberus, and now it’s time for the invaders of our galaxy to be shown why they made a mistake coming here. Hopefully, this is now being watched by our descendants, a look into one of the defining moments of our galaxy. If not, if this is being watched by the next cycle, then please learn from us. By all accounts, we’ve come as far if not further than the cycles that have come before us, and in a short amount of time. Take what we’ve learned and use it to show the Reapers that life endures. That despite their efforts, we refuse to simply lie down and let them succeed. That no matter what, we will fight back against them, and we will defeat them.

However, for my own sake and sanity, I’m going to assume that this is indeed being watched by our descendants, that we make it through this, and show the Reapers that they will not be allowed to continue their slaughter of the races of this galaxy. To that end, I want to show the future generations the truth of this war.

History texts have an uncanny ability to take bloody and brutal war and romanticize it. The heroes become larger than life, the death tolls become statistics to be forgotten, and it seems to all be won by a select few.

[ _assorted images of humans on board a starship, doing their duties, engaging in downtime, being patched up by medical officers, sleeping, et cetera _]__

__However, the truth of the matter is far different. During my time on the Normandy, not only have I worked with the people who history will immortalize, I’ve spoken with, laughed with, cried with, lived with the people who history will forget before the proverbial ink dries. As much as I agree that Commander Shepard and his efforts should be remembered for the things that he has done for us, I wish to bring to light some of the forgotten tragedies of this war._ _

__[ _The camera cuts to the image of a young human male, in his mid-twenties, with black hair. The back of Allers’s head is seen briefly as the camera zooms in close on his face. A caption appears, indicating that the man is Ensign Michael Copeland._ ]_ _

__Allers: Ensign Michael Copeland is from Terra Nova, a human colony world in the Exodus Cluster. He was assigned to the Normandy as part of the retrofit crew immediately after graduation, and stayed on board following the attack on Earth. Thank you for agreeing to be part of this, Ensign._ _

__Copeland: I felt I had to. Everyone has to do what they can, right? Being stuck on the ship... At least this is a contribution to the war effort, right?_ _

__A: I’d like to start on the topic of the opinion piece that I published that you had some... rather harsh words about. In that opinion piece, I recommended that the Alliance would be better off by withdrawing from Terra Nova, allowing the Reapers to have it so that we could focus on protecting other locations with both more strategic value and stronger military presences. When you learned about it... you had a few choice words for me._ _

__C: Yeah, and I still disagree with you about the importance of the lives on Terra Nova. But after what I saw on Thessia... The Reapers just steamrolled over the asari, and they’re like... they WERE like the most advanced species in the galaxy. The planet was lost before we got there, and the Reapers hadn’t even been there for very long and... there was nothing we could have done. Terra Nova... It probably fell faster._ _

__A: For what it’s worth, Ensign, while I stand by my opinion piece, I do wish that there was something that could have been done to save every life, on Terra Nova, on Thessia... on Earth. But with my role as a war reporter, I have to keep myself professionally distanced from all of my subjects, especially such an emotionally charged case like anything happening in this war._ _

__C: I get it now. The harsh calculus of war. I don’t like it._ _

__A: If we ever get to a point where we like it, I think we stop being humans – or asari, or turians, or any species – and start being Reapers._ _

__C: Yeah._ _

__A: If I may, Ensign, what caused you to join the Alliance?_ _

__C: Like a lot of us from Terra Nova, I was watching as that asteroid was coming towards Terra Nova._ _

__A: You are referring to the terrorist attack by the batarian Ka’hairal Balak three years ago, in which he hijacked Asteroid X57 and attempted to crash it into Terra Nova?_ _

__C: Yeah. We knew that if that asteroid hit, the planet would die, and there was no way to get away from it in time. So all we could do was... watch._ _

__A: Balak’s efforts were stopped by Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy SR-1._ _

__C: That’s right. I guess a lot of us on Terra Nova felt like... like we owed the Alliance for having Commander Shepard come help us – I mean, this was in the middle of his hunt for Saren, but he still took the time to help us. We all just... wanted to do our part, make it so that there wouldn’t be another attack anywhere. That’s why I joined the Alliance._ _

__A: I’m sure that your story is similar to that of many in the Alliance._ _

__C: Probably. The Alliance may not be perfect, but it does try to help. And right now... we all need help._ _

__A: Indeed we do. Answer something else for me, Ensign. If Balak hadn’t attacked Asteroid X57, hadn’t caused Commander Shepard to come to save the day, do you think you still would have joined the Alliance?_ _

__C: I don’t know. Maybe. I... can’t really picture what it would be like otherwise, you know? Beyond just the attack being one of those defining moments for all of us who were on Terra Nova, it was something that said to a lot of the people out on the colonies that... with the Alliance, someone was looking out for us. Someone wanted to help us, to do right by us. That... feeling, that sense that you really are part of a community... It does make a difference when you’re out there, and it makes you want to be a part of... well, everything, you know?_ _

__A: Thank you for your time, Ensign._ _

__C: Of course._ _

__[ _Return to Allers in the cargo hold. She gives a wan smile, as though the effort itself is difficult._ ]_ _

__Ensign Copeland is one of many of the officers on the Normandy who have similar stories – they joined the Alliance because of a desire to either serve and repay the Alliance or the rest of the galaxy for what they’ve done in the service of others or to protect those in need._ _

__He is also currently in the Normandy’s medbay, due to injuries sustained in the line of duty, during the attack on Cerberus Headquarters. I don’t know if he’ll survive. It’s for soldiers like Ensign Copeland that I want their stories to be remembered. Everyone has their story to be told, be it the grand and glorious one that history will remember forever or the kind that will be forgotten before their bodies are lain to rest._ _

__As a reporter, that’s what I do. I tell these stories. My job generally calls for professional distance, to keep a separation between myself and those I am reporting on. That’s simply impossible from this position, however. I can’t be distant from a threat like the Reapers, and even if I could, I wouldn’t want to. This is a fight for our survival. And I am not just here to report. I’m here to show the future, be they human or some species that doesn’t exist yet, that we not just existed, but we lived._ _

__[ _Cut to a young woman, a caption indicating that she’s ‘Comm Specialist Samantha Traynor._ ]_ _

__Allers: Comm Specialist Samantha Traynor has perhaps one of the most difficult jobs of any in the course of this war._ _

__Traynor: Ugh, you have no idea. Not only am I managing war assets and vital comm traffic between the various fleet commanders, I’m also sorting through the mail like a glorified postal worker, and it’s so difficult, sorting personal communiques and the vital war reports that the Commander needs to see, figuring out where everything goes and-_ _

__A: [ _clears throat_ ] Sam?_ _

__T: Oh! Right! I’m so sorry. I’m not used to being on camera, so I got nervous. And when I get nervous, I tend to get flushed and uncomfortable, and then I start babbling... Much like I’m doing now. Sorry._ _

__A: It’s okay. I think we could all use the levity right around now._ _

__T: Yes. I suppose that’s what you wanted to interview me about. Horizon._ _

__A: Yes. Horizon is, at the time of this recording, and, if I may editorialize for a moment, hopefully still, the worst of Cerberus’s many war crimes. Hopefully, even after this recording too._ _

__T: I don’t think I could stomach learning they did something worse._ _

__A: You consider yourself a native of Horizon, correct?_ _

__T: Yes. Horizon is... or was, I suppose, my home. My parents were actually settling on Horizon, intending to stay there, after spending years helping to establish colonies across the Alliance. The Alliance is still accounting for all casualties, and they haven’t released any names yet, but... As Horizon natives, I think it’s... safe to assume they were among the first of Cerberus’... victims._ _

__A: I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be asking you about this now. We can do this another-_ _

__T: No. I... I’m alright. Or... I’m not alright, but... I need to do this. Ask me your questions._ _

__A: All right. But if you feel uncomfortable, just tell me. Specialist Traynor, I know you weren’t on the ground during Commander Shepard’s mission to the Sanctuary facility, but I was hoping to get your impressions of the overall... event._ _

__T: What’s there to say about it? Cerberus violated my home for their sick experiments. I’m... I’m pissed off. Every memory I have of Horizon seems... tainted, knowing what they did to the place I called home, and what they did to the people who I cared about... I want to dismantle the entire organization by hand. And... and I know that’s foolish._ _

__A: Yes. But it’s also very human._ _

__T: I suppose it is. And I suppose that’s why we’re fighting, isn’t it? So that we can continue to be human, instead of... harvested for the Reapers?_ _

__A: I hope so. [ _pause_ ] I should... let you go, let you... deal with your emotions in peace. We can... continue this later._ _

__T: I... Thank you, Diana._ _

__[ _Return to Allers, who is looking very uncomfortable. She clears her throat._ ]_ _

__Excuse me. That was one of the most difficult interviews of my life. Because of her duties as the comm officer for the Normandy, Specialist Traynor and I have worked together closely, and we’ve become good friends. As I said earlier, the professional distance that usually comes from this job is shot to hell when you’re living with the people you’re reporting on, eating their food, laughing at their jokes, and sharing their tears._ _

__As a result, listening to Special Traynor speak of the horrors at Sanctuary struck me. No one would remember the stories of those killed there. They would remain little more than names on a casualty list, but every one of them would have friends and family, people who would mourn them. But there would be no name that is remembered above the others, save that of the man responsible, Henry Lawson, and the one who stopped him, Commander Shepard. I think many are comfortable with Commander Shepard taking the fame and the glory, but that doesn’t mean that their voices mean nothing in the choir that is our galaxy._ _

__I started reporting specifically to tell the stories of the people of the galaxy. Not the people everyone will remember, but the people who would be forgotten. Yet this record would seem incomplete without a segment on Commander Shepard himself. But what can I offer the people of the future that about him that they won’t get otherwise?_ _

__[ _Cut to a man in his mid-thirties, greying at the temples. The caption identifies him as Major Kaidan Alenko._ ]_ _

__Allers: Major Alenko, thank you for agreeing to this interview, especially given its personal nature._ _

__Alenko: Of course, Miss Allers. You explained why you wanted this, and I thought that if anyone could give you the answers you needed. So long as you keep the questions within reason, of course._ _

__Allers: That’s my intent, Major. So, could you tell us about your first meeting with the Commander?_ _

__Alenko: We met when we came on board the Normandy. The first one, I mean. He came on board as Captain Anderson’s XO. I was just one of the officers under their command, but Shepard treated me with respect._ _

__Allers: You say that like you weren’t expecting it._ _

__Alenko: I wasn’t, really. Human biotics still face a lot of discrimination in most places. A lot of them try to join the Alliance military just for a place to feel they belong, but the Alliance’s standards wash out a lot of them. My last few assignments hadn’t exactly turned out well on the personnel side, but I apparently did well enough to impress Captain Anderson. Commander Shepard... was a surprise. He doesn’t have any biotic abilities, so I expected that he’d be distant with me at best. I mean, most people who don’t have biotics do that, given a lot of the misconceptions about biotics. But Shepard... didn’t. He treated me like I was... normal. [ _chuckles_ ] I think that was one of the first times in my life I even felt that way._ _

__Allers: And then... there was the search for the rogue Spectre, Saren Arterius._ _

__Alenko: Right. The hunt for Saren. We had no idea what we were getting in to back then, though. If we did, I think a lot of us would have requested a transfer. The Commander included._ _

__Allers: Major Alenko, it’s something of an open secret on the Normandy that you and the Commander are in a relationship._ _

__Alenko: Rules regarding fraternization went out the airlock around the time the Alliance started fighting for survival._ _

__Allers: Well put. Due to your closeness with him, I was wondering if you’d be willing to share with us the side of Commander Shepard that the vids aren’t recording._ _

__Alenko: Commander Shepard... The legends won’t do him justice. They’ll remember the things he does, but they’re not going to record the way that he looks when he goes back to his cabin. There’s... a weight there. The kind that shows that he feels all the lives that he hasn’t been able to save, the worlds that have fallen. To him, it’s not enough that he’s done the best he could, better than anyone could have expected of anyone in his position._ _

__Allers: Is there anything that lessens that weight?_ _

__Alenko: Alcohol, for one. [ _both chuckle slightly_ ] Truthfully, I don’t know if anything can. As much as Shepard struggles under that weight, it’s also a weight he wouldn’t willingly hand off to anyone else, either. If there’s one thing the legends are right about, it’ll be the fact that no one else could have done what Shepard has, if only because he wouldn’t hand off this duty to anyone else._ _

__Allers: And here I thought I was going to get information on the man behind the myth._ _

__Alenko: Miss Allers, I think as important as having the man remembered is allowing him the privacy to be just a man as well._ _

__Allers: A fair point, Major. Thank you for your time._ _

__[ _Return to Allers in her studio. She stares at the camera for a moment, thoughtful._ ]_ _

__I could have spoken with Commander Shepard about what he really wanted to be remembered for, but something held me back. Maybe it was a thought that history would hear him asking not to be immortalized as a god-like figure would seem like false humility. Maybe it was a desire to allow him to keep some things private, given the tendency of reporters like myself to dig deeper than we should. And maybe it’s because... bringing this up would just remind him of that weight on his shoulders. Even heroes need their respite._ _

__There are many more stories that I could share from the crew of the Normandy. Frankly, narrowing them down to the ones I’ve shared was a difficult task, one I spent days considering. These seemed to be the most important ones to share, simply because they gave a view on the war and its greatest hero that I don’t think will be paid enough attention to. I could spend the rest of my life editing together the interviews I didn’t include here together, but... These interviews were the ones that resonated with me the most._ _

__Ensign Copeland, who hoped to merely live up to his hopes and dreams of bravery. Specialist Traynor, who wasn’t in the line of fire but still will carry her scars from this. And Major Alenko, the man who sees the hero we’ll remember as eternally brave and courageous let down those walls. These three people are just some of the people whose contribution to history... to this war won’t be celebrated, but deserve recognition._ _

__Wars are not fought by any one person. History will name a handful of people as the most important. But that’s a mistake. In this war... We’re all fighting. Not all of us pick up a gun and stand on the front line. Some do. Some keep the equipment, the ships, the weapons, from falling apart. Some sift through the messages and hold back their tears as they bring bad news to the people they care about. Some allow those around them to have a shoulder to cry on._ _

__And some merely keep the records, allow the truth to be remembered._ _

__I’m Diana Allers. Good night, and stay strong._ _


End file.
